


Star-Strung Lovers

by ephemeral_epiphany



Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/F, Fluff, One Shot, Red String of Fate, Soulmates, akko trying her best, diana being an oblivious gay, sucy being sassy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-08
Updated: 2019-03-09
Packaged: 2019-11-13 16:50:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18035441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ephemeral_epiphany/pseuds/ephemeral_epiphany
Summary: A two shot (not sure if that's a thing?) about Diana and Akko meeting. This is also a soulmate alternate universe where people have a red string attached to their pinkies which is connected to their soulmate. I also added in more details that are further explained in the story. If you would like anything to be further explained, just let me know and I'll try to explain it as best as I can. Hope you enjoy, sorry I'm not too good with summaries!





	1. Tied With a Ribbon

The day began bright and early for Atsuko Kagari, as it usually did. She yawned, stretching her arms out and wiping the sleep from her eyes, a large grin already spreading across her face. She had been at Luna Nova for a few days now, making fast friends with her dorm-mates Lotte and Sucy. 

She was hesitant to befriend the latter, as when she first tried to introduce herself to the mushroom-loving girl, she ended up in a lake, struggling with ropes that the other girl had enchanted to look like snakes. She knew, of course, that they would be good friends because of the small line of thread that connected their wrists together. 

Akko was taught about the soul bonds when she was around seven or eight, and to say that she was excited would be an understatement. She practically squealed in delight when her mother told her about all the different threads around her hands and what they meant. The ones on her wrist, her mother explained, were who would be her closest friends: a platonic soulmate so to speak. They were always blue and helped anchor Akko through some of her tougher days.

The strings around her thumb were plum colored, and her mother explained that they represented family: mother, father, cousins, or other relatives. The one that excited her most of all, however, was the small string tied around her pinkie. It was rose colored, and Akko thought that it shined the brightest out of all of the threads that entangled themselves around her fingers and wrist. Her mother explained that this was her soulmate string: the red string of fate. It connected her to who she would love the most, and was what brought a grin to her face everyday.

Her mother warned her to never try to follow the strings, because many people have aimlessly followed the small threads and only ended up more lost than when they started their journey. Her mother told her that fate always had a way of making them cross paths, even if it took a long while. Anyone who knows Akko knows that she’s not the most patient girl, but she makes up for it with her passion for life and general enthusiasm. Years after her mother had taught her about the different threads and strands of life, Akko had another question for her mother. 

“What does the white string mean?” Akko had been wondering this for quite a while, and she remembers her mothers sad smile that day, and her comforting hand on Akko’s shoulder.

“It means that someone important to you has passed on. It may seem bleak, but I think that it’s a reminder that they’re always there, looking out for you.” Akko’s brow furrowed, and she looked up at her mother. 

“So like grandpa? Is he looking out for us?” Akko’s grandfather had died a day previously, and Akko had attended the funeral with her parents a few days later, her eyes glued to the white string that seemed to infinitely extend into the sky. 

“Yes,” Akko’s mother replied, placing a soft kiss onto her daughter’s forehead. Akko remembers sinking into the warmth of her mother’s embrace. 

Akko shakes her head, ridding the more morbid thoughts from her head and blinking as light peaked through the curtains. Akko felt like she was so close to finding her soulmate, and her string became more taut since she had arrived at Luna Nova, changing directions every now and then.  
She knows that she shouldn’t follow her string, but she just hopes that fate would hurry up already. Akko then slid down her bunk bed ladder, quickly fastening her robes and getting ready for the day. 

———————————————

Diana sighed into her coffee, the black brew nipping at her tongue and burning slightly. Diana’s eyes flicked back to her thumb as usual, peering at the frayed white string that has been a constant in her life since she was a small girl. She misses her mother with all her heart, though she has since then had time to grieve and process it. 

Hannah and Barbara shuffled over to her bed, shortening the blue strings between them. Diana’s always been peeved with the fact that you can only see your own strings along with family’s and who they attach to, as her more curious side has always wondered if her two peppy friends were soulmates. 

Diana hadn’t really put too much thought into the whole ‘soul bond’ idea, as she threw herself into her studies after her mother’s death and her father’s disappearance. The Cavendish house has always been respectable, and more often than not end up marrying people who are not their soulmates.

One cannot wait around forever to simply bump into your destined lover, and the Cavendish family was no exception. However, that didn’t stop Diana from being intrigued when the string around her pinky pulled taut and moved around her finger as if following some unknown entity. Diana was curious as to who it could be, as there weren’t many men attending Luna Nova. 

She supposed that he could always be from her cousin’s academy, as Appleton wasn’t too far from Luna Nova and some of the boys would visit Luna Nova to talk to friends or explore the campus. Hannah and Barbara soon interrupt her thoughts, and Diana quickly focuses her attention back on them.  
“Have you heard about the kind of riffraff the school is letting in these days?” Barbara snorts, quickly turning into a corridor leading to the girls’ classes.

“I heard that one of the girls this year isn’t even from a witches’ family.” Hannah says haughtily, crinkling her nose in disgust before turning to Diana for her thoughts on the matter.

“I’m sure they have a perfectly good reason for accepting someone outside of a witches’ family, after all, the Headmistress knows what she’s doing,” Diana scolds, and both girls hang their heads, feeling properly chastised. 

“I guess we’ll find out soon enough, apparently she’s in our year, so we’re bound to have at least one class with her.” Hannah shrugs, and the girls turn into the astronomy class, right on time for classes to begin. 

———————————————

Akko bounded into the astronomy classroom alongside Lotte and Sucy, excited to finally start a class with a nice teacher. She considered most of her other classes fairly boring, even though she tried her best to pay attention during the teachers’ lectures and lessons.

Akko plopped down at the desk in the middle of the room, Lotte and Sucy both sidling in beside her. Akko felt a mental tug of sorts, and if it wasn’t for Akko’s habit to periodically check the threads attached to her fingers, she wouldn’t have noticed who walked in the door. The red string on her pinky went rim rod straight, stretching past her fellow classmates and attached to the pinky of another girl only a few feet in front of her. Akko nearly fell out of her chair, making Lotte peer over at her, her expression filled with concern. The girl who Akko’s string was connected to was stunning, and Akko's brain was having trouble functioning correctly.

“You okay, Akko?” Lotte pushed her glasses up her nose, waiting patiently for her hyper friend’s answer.

“I-I just…” Akko’s mouth open and closed, ironically reminiscent of Akko’s philosophy teacher, Professor Pieces. Akko cleared her throat, trying to gather her thoughts. “Who’s that?” was all Akko managed to get out, jabbing her thumb towards the girl who’s string connected with her own. Sucy grinned maliciously, her teeth resembling that of a shark.

“That’s Diana Cavendish, only the most popular and distinguished witch in our year,” Sucy drawls, “I wouldn’t be surprised if she can’t even sit down because she has a stick shoved so far up her ass,” Sucy chuckles at her own joke, and Lotte turns to her with a horrified expression. 

“Sucy!” Lotte squeaks, and before Lotte can reprimand her, Akko beats her to it. 

“How would you know! Doesn’t sound like you even know her to me!” Akko pouts, crossing her arms and turning away from her pink haired friend. Akko would have expected something like that from Amanda, who she had only met a day prior and could already tell was a pretty impulsive person, but nonetheless, she was surprised to hear it from Sucy. Not to say that she was surprised by the insult, no, Akko had come to expect that much from Sucy. However, Sucy wasn’t one to make jokes like that, she was more of the type to bluntly state her opinion.

Akko chewed on her pen, quickly glancing back at where Diana had been, only to notice that she and the girls following her had taken a seat at the desks to the right of Akko and her dorm mates. Akko wasn’t sure if Diana just hadn’t noticed yet, or simply wasn’t interested ( _who wouldn’t be interested in their own_ soulmate _for the nine’s sake?_ ). Akko hoped that it was the former and that Sucy was just being her normal self when she said those mean things about Diana.

Akko had realized that she had been staring for longer than was probably socially appropriate ( _when have I ever cared about being ‘socially appropriate' again?_ ) and when she noticed that the two girls next to Diana were whispering, Akko quickly turned away, her face flushed bright red. Akko shook her head, trying to return her focus to Professor Ursula and her lesson, though her gaze would wander to Diana every now and then. 

The class seemed to drag on, despite the fact that Professor Ursula was one of her favorite teachers, so she was more than relieved when they were dismissed. She was hoping to get the chance to talk to Diana, and it was a wonder that she hadn’t burst out of her seat already with excitement due to having finally met her soulmate. Well, met in a ‘stare at her a couple of times’ kind of way.

The moment they were dismissed, Akko jumped from her seat and made a beeline to where Diana was, only her classmates seemed to have other ideas. She was shoved to the side as people stampeded past to exit the classroom, and Akko was desperately trying to reach Diana. Sucy laughed at Akko’s frustration, while Lotte only seemed confused. 

“I’ll catch up with you guys later, I’ve got something important I need to do!” Akko shouted back determinedly, Sucy looking to Lotte and causing her to shrug.

———————————————

 

Diana had only made it about halfway to the library before she heard someone unfamiliar calling her name. She had told Barbara and Hannah to go ahead to the cafeteria, as she was planning on getting some books to help her more thoroughly understand Astronomy and its connection to magic. She was grateful that they agreed, as most often they would try to tag along and miss supper in the process. 

Diana had been distracted all class, and that wasn’t like her at all. She couldn’t help but feel a sort of mental pull, but she just chalked it up to a headache and hoped that it would subside later on during the lesson. Unfortunately, that was not the case, not to mention there was someone staring at her during the entire lesson. She chose to just ignore it, as many people stared at her because she was a Cavendish, and her reputation preceded her.

Hannah and Barbara, however, had other ideas. They had been poking and prodding her the whole time, informing her that the girl who was staring at her was Atsuko Kagari: the girl who wasn’t part of a witches family. They also gossiped about how she supposedly couldn’t even fly, was clumsy, and a failure of a witch. 

Quite honestly, Diana was done with their uppity and snippy remarks, and she shot a glare in their direction which finally caused them to quiet down. Diana had missed some of the lesson, which had never happened before so she thought that it would be good to grab some books on the topic to properly study the subject. 

“Diana!” Diana couldn’t ignore the voice calling after her any longer, so she swiftly turned on her heel to face whoever had followed her, causing said person to run right into her. Diana rubbed her head, having fallen to the ground after the collision and bumped heads with the other person. It didn’t help that the persistent tugging was only getting stronger, so Diana rubbed her temples and sighed before opening her eyes.

She was surprised to see the girl who had been staring at her before: Atsuko Kagari. Diana was surprised that the girl was actually quite beautiful in her own quirky way, despite Hannah and Barbara’s opinion of her. Atsuko smiled bashfully, dirt staining her robes from the fall.

“Sorry about that. My name’s Atsuko Kagari. You can just call me Akko, though.” Diana furrowed her brow, about to take Akko’s offered hand when she realized something precarious. 

The string on her pinky, which she had not been paying mind to as the threads on her fingers were only a reminder to many things that she lost and many that she thought she would never have, was connected to the Akko’s. Diana jolted backwards, her head spinning with a barrage of questions. 

“I-you-“ Diana tried to speak but her words only came out jumbled and she sputtered as her eyes darted from her pinky to Akko’s.

“Oh! I wasn’t sure if you had noticed or anything, I’m sorry about staring at you during class, you’re just really pretty and-“ Akko stopped abruptly, her cheeks flushed with red. “I-I mean,” Akko continued, clearly embarrassed and trying to erase her mistake, “I meant to say that I was just staring at you because, you know… soulmates!” Akko said, scratching the back of her neck nervously. 

Diana blinked, still processing that her soulmate was the clumsy witch in front of her. 

“But-I- but that can’t possibly be! You’re a girl!” Diana blurted before she could stop herself. She immediately regretted the words after they tumbled out of her mouth, though this was definitely not how she expected to meet her soulmate. Akko’s face dropped, her mood considerably dampened.

“Um… I’m sorry if I’m not what you expected. I mean, you’re not exactly what I expected either,” Akko laughs before quickly correcting herself, “though not in a bad way! It’s just, well…” Akko paused, looking down at her shoes and scratching the back of her neck before looking back up at Diana. “You’re apparently the most important witch in our year or something, and I’m just…me.” Akko rambled, trying to find some sort of conversation to grasp. Diana blinks, looking up at Akko before shaking herself from her stupor and brushing off the dust from her robes. 

“Certainly you are not…exactly what I had in mind,” Diana started, cringing slightly, “but I am surely not the most important witch in our year.” Diana states confidently. Diana corrects her posture out of habit, her back straightening and chin jutting out to face Akko. “Yes, I do come from a long line of witches, but that does not make any difference to the sort of person I am. I am proud to be a Cavendish, but that is not all I am proud to be.”

Diana continues, “I’m sure that we’ll have plenty of time to get to know each other, and I’d be glad to get to know exactly who ‘just you’ is.” Diana finished, happy that she was finally able to express herself without stumbling over every other word. Akko quickly hugged the girl tightly, Diana going stiff before eventually relaxing into the smaller girl’s embrace.

When they separated, Akko was positively glowing and beaming from ear to ear. Diana may not have known Akko for long, but it was still a relief to see Akko smiling instead of frowning.

“Come on! I have so much to talk to you about!” Akko practically dragged Diana down the corridor, and Diana could almost see the stars in Akko’s eyes due to her apparent excitement. Diana let a small smile pass her lips, wondering what exactly she had just gotten herself into. She could worry about what her aunt and cousins would think later, for now the only thing she could think about was the warm and content feeling in her stomach every time Akko looked back and smiled at her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know if you guys liked the fanfic! If you have any comments, suggestions, or just want to talk be sure to say something in the comments! You can find me on tumblr at http://evanescent-hope.tumblr.com if you want to chat or anything. Also, shoutout to the Diakko discord, specifically MildlyUpsetGerbil who came up with a title, and Gay.Stuffe and RadLaw who helped with suggestions and edited the fic!


	2. Fate Is What You Make It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> People are brought to the realization that Diana and Akko are soulmates so drama and light-hearted teasing ensue.

Akko stretched, cuddling against Diana’s petite frame in the warmth of her own bed. The past few days had been some of the best of Akko’s life, and the fact that she had been able to get to know Diana more was just the cherry on top. The day they had met, Akko hurried to tell her friends that Diana was her soulmate, practically bursting with joy. Sucy had reacted by cackling so hard that she fell over, and Lotte reacting by practically squealing and swooning, fangirling to Akko that it was just like book twelve of Nightfall, and continuing with a bunch of facts about characters she didn’t know like ‘Edgar’ and ‘Arthur’.

After their initial reactions (Akko scowling at Sucy who seemed to find the situation hilarious), they waited for Akko to tell them what had happened. So she did, leaving out the minor embarrassing details, and _still_ Akko had to wait a full five minutes for Sucy to stop laughing again. 

“How could _you_ , Akko, the literal dumbest witch in school-”, Sucy started before Akko interjected with an offended “Hey!” from her bed, “end up with a girl like _her_?” Sucy snorted, mostly rhetorically but inspecting Akko with a raised brow. Akko pouted, scowling down at Sucy from her bunk bed, 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Akko asked accusingly, angry that Sucy would even question the legitimacy of Diana being her soulmate. Sucy smiled slightly to herself (it was more of a grimace if you asked Akko) and shook her head.

“Nothing, nothing. Whatever, I’m happy someone will be able to deal with you instead of us all of the time.” Sucy smirked, causing Akko to pull her arms even closer to her chest and shoot a glare at Sucy. Lotte had just excitedly spouted her similarities to Nightfall, forcing Akko to promise to give her all of the details.

After talking with her friends, Akko wasted no time in letting Diana know all about her. She told her about her passion for magic, how when she was a child she saw Shiny Chariot perform, and since then Shiny Chariot has been her idol and pushed her to be the witch that she was today. Akko admitted that her magic wasn’t the best, but she was trying and if she believed in herself, then she knew she could do wonders. Akko had even told her about her encounter with the cockatrice in Arcturus Forest, and how the Shiny Rod, Shiny Chariot’s wand, had revealed itself to her.

After Diana had fully processed that Sucy had used Lotte and Akko as bait (planning to say a few choice words to Sucy), she threw herself into teaching Akko proper protective spells. Akko had so far been able to produce a tiny shield, but she was progressing quickly and that was enough to satiate Diana’s worry. 

Akko had noticed, however, that Diana was more closed off about her past, and Akko surprised Diana with her maturity in understanding that not everyone wore their heart on their sleeve like she did. Over the course of a few days, Diana had confided small details in Akko, and Akko was as supportive as she could be whenever Diana did share something. Diana had hesitantly discussed the pressure that was placed on her shoulders as the soon-to-be matriarch of the Cavendish house.

Akko had been there to comfort her telling her that in the short few days she had known her, she could already tell that Diana was one of the most hardworking and accomplished witches in their year. She also made sure to reassure Diana that it was okay to make mistakes every now and then, because there’s no way to learn from your mistakes if you don’t make any. Diana had taken that to heart, and was well on her way to becoming more comfortable around Akko’s naturally bubbly and curious nature.  
The one thing that had disappointed Akko the most was the conversation that her and Diana had only a day or two prior. 

“I- I was thinking,” Diana started, biting her lip in contemplation as Akko played with her hair in the small corner of the library, “that I would like to keep the fact that we are soulmates a secret.” Diana felt Akko stop playing with her hair, and she turned to face her. “Just for the time being, of course, until I sort out everything with myself.” Akko was frowning, her frown slightly lessening as Diana added that their relationship being a secret would only be a temporary thing. 

“Sure,” Akko replied with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, causing Diana to worry, biting her lip again. Seeing Diana’s skeptical expression regarding Akko’s answer, Akko quickly moved to reassure her. “Hey, it’s totally fine, I promise,” Akko smiled widely as to prove her point, and Diana slumped in relief. 

“I’m sorry that I’m making you do this, I’m just not ready to-“ Akko cut her off before she could continue her unnecessary apology, 

“You don’t need to explain yourself to me, silly!” Akko grinned, though her hand quickly moved to the back of her neck, scratching nervously. “I did kind of sort of already tell Sucy and Lotte about us, though.” Akko looked to Diana anxiously, and Diana blinked in surprise. “I was just so excited, I’m sorry! I swear they won’t tell anyone, I’ll make sure of it!” Akko attempted to ease Diana’s anxiety, and Diana just smiled.

“It’s okay, Akko, they’re your best friends. Just don’t tell anyone else, okay?” Diana spoke softly, Akko looking back at Diana with an expression that could only be described as pure determination.

“I swear on my collector’s edition Shiny Chariot card that I won’t say anything until you’re ready.” Akko looked at Diana with a dead serious expression, causing Diana to laugh in a hushed tone.

“Okay, Akko. I believe you, and thank you.” Diana said gratefully, taking Akko’s hand in her’s. Akko only beamed, enjoying the feel of Diana’s petite hand against her own. 

—————————————————

For the entirety next few days, Sucy and Lotte (well, Sucy) teased them endlessly as they spent most of their time in Akko’s dorm, this being the only place where they could be affectionate, or as Sucy had worded it: “be disgusting with PDA.” While they exchanged quick pecks when no one was looking, Akko was a generally touchy-feely kind of girl, and Diana had trouble resisting her puppy-dog eyes whenever Akko wanted to cuddle.

By a feat short of a miracle, Akko was able to keep quiet about her and Diana’s relationship besides gushing to Sucy and Lotte. She did, however, give Sucy and Lotte a stern talking-to about not telling anyone about her and Diana, having to nearly threaten Sucy before she finally caved and promised not to tell anyone.

Diana, although she fervently denied it when Sucy and Lotte teased her, was absolutely enamored with Akko. So much so, that she was afraid of scaring the smaller girl off. Logically, she knew that wouldn’t be the case, but it didn’t stop her from feeling that way all the same. While Akko’s friends meant the teasing in a more jesting way, Diana could not say the same for her own friends. In truth, she had mostly decided to keep her and Akko’s relationship a secret due to her being worried about her closest friend’s reactions.

 _What would they say if they knew my soulmate was a girl, not to mention the girl they so vehemently insult every time she is in my vicinity?_ Diana sighed, her brow furrowing as she moved to make herself more comfortable in Akko’s bed. Akko nuzzled into Diana’s collarbone, causing Diana’s cheeks to turn rosy. Diana sighed, half in happiness and half in anxiety. She wished that her friends would be as supportive as Akko’s, but she doubted that would happen. To be quite honest, Diana was getting more and more frustrated with each passing remark the girls would make about Akko. Diana sighed again, slowly stroking her hand through Akko’s hair, causing the latter to hum happily. 

“Akko, class is going to start soon, our free period is over. We have to get up,” Diana spoke in a soft and gentle tone, but Akko only grumbled. 

“But I don’t wanna,” Akko whined into Diana’s chest, her voice muffled and her bottom lip jutting out slightly. Diana chuckled, moving away from Akko to get off of the bed, causing Akko to whimper in protest. “Stupid Finnelan ruins everything,” Diana laughed as her girlfriend ( _are we girlfriends? I’ll have to address that later_ ) grumpily started to descend the bed’s ladder. 

—————————————————

Diana and Akko walked into class, Akko and other students trickling in a few minutes after Diana, so as to not look suspicious. Diana resented the fact that she and Akko had to spend so much time apart, but she couldn’t complain because it was her doing, after all. Diana sat down next to Barbara and Hannah as usual, ready for their lesson on magic linguistics with Finnelan. Diana, in fact, already knew much about the topic but opted to take it for extra practice. Diana looked to Hannah and Barbara, who were already deep in conversation. They turned to acknowledge Diana, making sure to include her. 

“I heard from Amanda that Akko still can’t fly, yet she’s still going to participate in the competition.” Hannah whispered to Diana and Barbara, already catching Diana up on the latest Akko gossip. Diana had to stop herself from pinching the bridge of her nose in aggravation. 

“That’s ridiculous! I still wonder how she even got into the school,” Barbara retorted, examining her cuticles as if uninterested. “By the way,” Barbara continued, looking up from her cuticles at Hannah, “why were you talking with Amanda anyways?” Hannah blanched at Barbara’s comment before hastily replying. 

“She’s friends with Akko, duh. Why else would I be talking to her?” Hannah snorts and both Barbara and Diana accept her answer, as it did make sense. 

“Anyways,” Barbara starts, “Are you thinking of competing, Diana? I’d love to see you mop the floor with that commoner.” Barbara smirks, and Diana inwardly grimaces at her less than polite wording.

“I am planning on competing, but I’m sure that Akko could more than hold her own if given the opportunity.” Diana replies seriously, trying to keep any sort of emotion out of her tone. Hannah and Barbara blink, look at each other, and then nearly burst out laughing.

“That’s a good one, Diana!” Barbara laughs, patting Diana on the shoulder. 

“Yeah, you really had us going for a second.” Hannah adds, snickering along with Barbara. Diana swore she could feel her eye physically twitch in anger.

“Can we please just focus on the lesson, girls?” Diana massages the bridge of her nose, and Barbara looks at Hannah in confusion, causing the ginger to shrug. 

—————————————————

Diana, for the first time, was glad when class ended. She desperately wanted to see Akko and get away from Barbara and Hannah’s snide comments. 

“Don’t wait up, girls. I’m headed to the library.” Diana told them, briskly moving away from the two girls in question. 

“Hey! Wait up!” Hannah called after her and Diana sighed, slowing her pace. 

“We never get to see you anymore, you’re overworking yourself way too much, Diana!” Hannah nodded along with Barbara’s statement, and while Diana was touched that her friends were worried about her, she also felt the slightest bit guilty. She hadn’t been hanging out with her friends often, instead lying to them about visiting the library and going to see Akko instead. Diana furrowed her brow, trying to think of a solution. Diana weighed her options, knowing that it would look suspicious if she just told them no.

“Fine,” Diana caved, causing both girls to grin widely and interlock their arms with Diana, leading her towards the cafeteria. Diana hoped that Akko wouldn’t be waiting for her, but she supposed that if worse comes to worse then Akko can just follow her string to her. They walked through the hallways fairly silently, which was a nice change from the constant jabs that the girls were usually throwing at Akko. Once they reached the cafeteria, the girls had dropped their arms to the side in favor of grabbing a tray of the usual potatoes ( _would it kill them to make something nutritious?_ ).

Diana grabbed her tray and followed them over to the blue team’s table, feeling eyes watching her. Diana glanced backwards and saw both Sucy and Lotte staring at her curiously, probably wondering why she wasn’t with Akko and rightfully so. Diana took a seat, Barbara and Hannah seating themselves on either side of her. They sat in an awkward silence for a few moments before Diana cleared her throat, 

“What have you girls been up to lately?” Diana cringed at her attempt at small talk. 

“Not much,” Hannah admitted, “though we have been keeping up with the latest gossip. Wangari’s been really helpful with finding out new entertaining things.” Hannah prods at her potato with her fork, attempting to cut it before deciding better of it.

“Yeah, she’s actually been prepping for the competition as well,” Barbara explains, “she’s going to do a live coverage of the race.” Barbara steals Hannah’s potato, getting any kind of sustenance she can seeing as the school is rather lacking in that department. Diana hummed in feigned interest, also poking at her potato with her fork. “Speaking of the race, she gave us some pretty interesting information about the competitors,” Barbara continued, Diana bracing herself for what she knew would become a barrage on her soulmate.

“Akko apparently was ‘practicing’ for the race,” Barbara used air-quotes when describing Akko’s practice, “and Wangari saw her. She’s basically hopping around on her broomstick, what a disgrace!” Barbara scrunched her nose in distaste, her attention now away from their lunch. 

“That’s ought to be embarrassing. Can you _imagine_ associating with her? I’ve no idea how Amanda puts up with her.” Hannah turns towards Barbara, and Barbara nods in agreement. 

“Maybe they're soulmates,” Barbara starts, “seems fair that the two largest disappointments in the school be paired together,” Diana’s grip on her fork becomes white-knuckled and Hannah’s smirk drops. 

“Hey, maybe you should tone it down a-”

“Wouldn’t that just be rich?” Barbara continued, disregarding Hannah’s comment. “They’d probably get themselves killed in a day tops. Amanda’s so reckless that she’d probably come up with some stupid plan, and Akko’s so brainless that she’d follow along.” Diana was seething, clenching her jaw to keep from saying something she’d regret. Even Hannah seemed to realize that Barbara took it too far.

“I honestly pity whoever Akko’s soulmate is. At least Amanda seems fairly reasonable, but I’m not even sure Akko understands what reason is.” Diana abruptly stood up, shaking the silverware on the table, her fists clenched tightly.

“How dare you! Have you girls not an ounce of self-respect? I’ve stood idly by for long enough, but I can no longer sit and listen to the absolutely atrocious things you say about a girl you don’t even know! It is one thing to insult me, but to insult Akko? And in the most asinine and spineless way possible! She’s done nothing but spread kindness since she arrived, and I will not let you poison her purity with your utter and absolute bullshit!

My soulmate is the best person I’ve ever met, certainly better than the likes of you, and she does _not_ deserve to be treated this way, whether you are my friends or not!” Diana yelled vapidly, breathing heavily when she finished lecturing Barbara and Hannah, her face red from exertion. 

She realized at once that the entirety of the cafeteria was staring at her in shock, and she stumbled backwards. The cafeteria was so silent that if a pin dropped, it would echo through the room. Barbara and Hannah stared at her, mouths agape, and Diana’s expression turned quickly from angry to panicked.

“Yeah Diana, get some!” Amanda’s gravelly voice echoes throughout the cafeteria, followed by an unfamiliar voice yelling:  
“Get wrecked Barbara and Hannah!” Diana’s face burned bright with embarrassment. She fled the room, hoping to go to anywhere but there. She quickly finds herself in her own room, too anxious to go to Akko’s because the nine know that her voice could probably be heard throughout the whole school. Diana hears the door open and she curls into herself, trying to make herself appear as small as possible.

“Diana?” Hannah’s meek voice called out, walking towards Diana’s bed. “We swear that we didn’t know, and we are so, so sorry.” Hannah sounded sincere, her voice cracking as though she had been crying recently. “It wouldn’t even matter if we knew, we were just telling you what we thought you wanted to hear.” Hannah sat beside Diana’s bed, and Diana could hear Barbara grumbling. Diana looked over at Hannah, and noticed that both girls eyes were puffy and red. 

“Why on earth would you think I wanted to hear those things?” Diana asked softly, trying desperately to make herself sound small. 

“We don’t know. We thought that if we made other people seem inferior, that you would be happy with us. I know I took it too far, it’s just you weren’t reacting to anything else. I thought you wanted us to be harsher.” Barbara squeaks, her voice scratchy. Diana could feel tears building in her eyes from just looking at the two. “I know that doesn’t excuse our actions at all. I just hope that you can come to forgive us someday.” Barbara continues, sounding downtrodden.

“I’ll forgive you both on one condition, but it will still take time.” Diana tells them, her voice hardening. 

“We’ll do anything.” Hannah says, looking to Diana hopefully. 

“Promise to never be someone you’re not ever again. Not for anyone. And never, under any circumstances, belittle someone for being themselves.” Diana looks up at them, wiping away a few stray tears that had streaked across her cheeks without her noticing.

“I promise,” Barbara swears, “I give you my word.”

“I promise, too. Swear to the Nine Olde Witches.” Hannah crossed her heart with her finger so as to reassure Diana. Diana waits for a second before pulling the other two girls into a tight hug. 

“I’m so sorry, girls. I was blinded by anger when I said all of those things.” Diana says tearfully, “Never do that again.” The three girls squeezed each other tightly and all dissolving into crying messes. As soon as they separated, the door flew open, revealing a very disheveled Akko. 

“I’m so sorry!” Akko paused to take a breath, hands on her knees as she panted, clearly having run directly to Diana. “I came as soon as I heard!”

Akko looked up, wiping the sweat from her brow and seeing the three girls with tear streaked cheeks. “ _You._ ” Akko glared at Hannah and Barbara, stomping over to put herself between Diana and the two girls. “You two did this to her!” Akko nearly snarled, looking at Hannah and Barbara with a threatening glare.

“Akko-” Diana started to step forward, Akko rolling up her sleeves and stopping Dianna,

“Why I oughta-” Diana placed her hand on Akko’s, 

“Akko, it’s okay.”

“Yeah, what she said!” Akko yelled, her expression then morphing into one of confusion. “Wait, what?” Akko looked back at Diana, who wiped the remaining tears from her eyes and giggled at Akko’s expression. 

“We talked about it. It was a misunderstanding, and it’s going to take me a while to forgive them but we’ve hashed things out.” Diana squeezed Akko’s hand to reassure her, and Akko nodded slowly. 

“If you say so.” Akko looked back suspiciously at the other two girls, making the ‘I’m watching you’ motion, causing Diana to chuckle again. Barbara steps forward, surprising both Diana and Akko. 

“Look, I know I’ve been a real bitch lately,” Akko snorted, “but if Diana sees potential in you, then I trust her. I’m sorry about all of the things I said, even though I know that won’t take back any of the things I’ve done.” Barbara scratches the back of her neck, looking down at the floor with a forlorn expression.

“I forgive you!” Akko smiles, and Barbara looks back up at her with a completely shocked expression. 

“I- you do? But I’ve been absolutely horrible-“ Barbara almost seems horrified at the prospect of being forgiven so quickly.

“Ah, ah, ah none of that! I forgive Hannah, too. I know that you guys are really important to Diana, so I’d rather just say that the past is in the past and start fresh.” Akko explained, and both girls blinked, still shocked at Akko’s kindness. Diana smiles, her heart warmed by the fact that Akko would be willing to start over even after all of her friends have done, just because they were important to Diana.

 _What I did to deserve you, I’ll never know_. Diana pulled Akko into a long kiss, not caring that Barbara and Hannah were still present. When they separated, Diana rested her forehead against Akko’s for a moment, catching her breath.

Akko looked back up at Diana with a beaming smile,

“Not that I’m complaining,” Akko began, “but what was that for?” Akko could barely contain her grin due to Diana’s actions.

“For being you,” Diana smiled, giggling softly as Akko’s smile grew wider.

Any doubts or worries that Diana had previously were alleviated by the smaller girl next to her. With Akko by her side, she’s sure that she’ll be just fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you Gay.Stuffe again for editing another chapter! This one was really fun to write, I was testing how far I could go before pretty much making Diana and myself snap. Both drama and fluff are always fun to write, so I really enjoyed this chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did, and thanks for all of the nice comments on the previous chapter! You can talk with me on [tumblr](http://evanescent-hope.tumblr.com) if you want, or just have a chat with me in the comments. Thanks for reading!


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